


The Year I did not sign up for.

by Drachma20



Series: Harriet Potter and a bunch of bad descisions [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Evil Dumbledore, Evil Ron Weasley, F/F, F/M, Female Harry Potter, Genius Harry, Good Voldemort, M/M, Not Beta Read, Slytherin Harry, Triwizard Tournament
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-22
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-02-05 10:40:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 18,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12792831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drachma20/pseuds/Drachma20
Summary: Harriet Potters fourth year at Hogwarts. Not only has quidditch been cancelled to be replaced by some stupid tournament, but someone aparrantley thought it was funny to make this year hell for the circlet. Loyalties will be tested, dreams will be shattered and someone will break under the pressure.Whatever happens, Harriet will be more than happy to pay 1000 galleons to whoever kills Rita Skeeter.





	1. The big day arrives.

Harriet was woken up by Kreacher. Kreacher was the Black families house-elf. He seemed grumpy and an unpleasant charachter to have around at first but he warmed up to you after a while. Especially if you let him hit someone over the head with a frying pan. He had taken great pleasure in getting rid of reporters and other unwanted guests. Sitting up in her bed, she looked around. Damn, her room was tidy.

"Please excuse Kreacher for waking you up so early Mistress, but Masters Lupin and Black insisted that Kreacher do so. Masters didn't tell Kreacher why. Now please allow Kreacher to serve Mistress Potters breakfast." Kreacher said.

"Thank you Kreacher." Harriet said sitting up, "I assume they had me woken up this early because of some last minute wedding preparations."

Kreacher placed a silver tray on her lap. It was covered in all sorts of Breakfast goodies.

"Kreacher, this looks amazing!" she said.

"You are too kind mistress," Kreacher said bowing deeply before leaving the room telling her to call if she needed anything.

Hurriedly, Harriet ate her breakfast. Remus and Sirius were getting married the next day and Harriet was super excited. They had waited twelve years for this and now it was finally happening! She quickly got dressed and practically raced down the stairs whilst tying her hair in a ponytail. Skidding into the kitchen she saw Remus and sirius drinking tea.  
"Morning guys!" she said brightly.  
"Morning cub." Remus said, "Sleep well?"  
"Yeah."  
"Any nightmares?" asked Sirius.  
"No. What did you want me woken up so early for?"  
"Well," began Remus, "We still have some last minute preparations to do and Sirius couldn’t wait until later to tell you something."  
"I got us all tickets to the Quidditch World Cup finale in a few weeks!" Sirius almost yelled. He looked like an exited puppy.  
"Yes!" Harriet yelled punching the air, "You are amazing! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"  
She and Sirius proceeded to jump around the kitchen excitedly. Remus watched chuckling. Those two! 

A long time later, Harriet and Sirius were looking at flower arrangements and tablecloths. The assistant looked just about ready to cry. Harriet couldn't blame him. They had been her for 3 hours stuck with turned down things and Sirius acting like the most extra perfectionist in the universe.  
Well, he had already been extra. It was the perfectionism that had come as a surprise.  
1 hour later they had finally found the perfect flower arrangements and tablecloths. The assistant and Harriet both sighed in relief. Finally!

The shopping tour continued for the rest of the day. Harriet and Pansy bumped into each other at Madelaine Beccari's fine robes looking for dresses. Honestly, Harriet would much rather have been wearing jeans and a t-shirt to the wedding. In the evening Remus and Sirius were dragged off to their respective bachelor parties.

The next morning,  Harriet woke up at 7 am just to see if everything was in order. As far as she was concerned, today would be amazing. She put on the dress she had bought the day before. It was knee length, emerald green and had golden details along the sleeves. She threw a coat over it so it wouldn't get dirty, left a note saying where she was going to be and used the floo network to get to old gardens where the wedding was being held. She made sure everything was in place, checked the seating arrangements  (the Weasleys took up two rows on one side) and helped the cake company set up the 6 tier, red velvet and triple chocolate monstrosity covered in white fondant and leaves of 23 karat edible gold. It was 100% clear who had designed it.  
Harriet thanked whatever was holy that the family was essentially swimming in money and mentally berated Sirius for being so extravagant. But then again, they had waited 12 years for this and this was coming from someone who had started a presentation with 'Yo, sit down and buckle up people, 'cause I am about to teach you a thing I read about two hours ago and pretend I completely understand everything so lean back and enjoy the next 30 minutes of my extravaganza!'.  
She couldn't really talk now, could she?  
At 9 am the guests began to arrive. Remus had arrived half an hour earlier. Of course Sirius was going to be the 'bride'. Harriet had a feeling how that was going to go.


	2. Wedding cake is amazing.

When Sirius walked down the aisle,  everyone stared. He strode down casually, hands in his tux pockets. He looked really relaxed. Harriet heard Pansy sigh in relief that he hadn't gone with the dress after all. She, on the other hand felt a bit dissapointed.  
The marriage officiator droned on for a while and then it was time for the vows.

Lupin went first.  
"Sirius Black, soon to be Black-Lupin, you make me the happiest man in the world. Ever since I met you, you've always been by my side even in the darkest of times. Because of you I dare to laugh, to dream and to smile nor than I ever have before. You light up my world every day. I may be unsure about many things in life, but I am certain that I love you. You have been and always shall be my first choice. I vow to love you for the rest of our days forsaking all others, in sickness and in health till death do us part."  
Most of the guests were in tears. Harriet was preparing herself for Sirius' vows.  
"Remus Lupin," Sirius began, "I have always been drawn to you like a Wolf to the moon. For many years I thought I was barking up the wrong tree, when in fact I had dug up the bone I was looking for all along. So, finally, after years of chasing after you, like a dog would chase it's tail, we're finally getting hitched. I love you Remus Lupin and now I get to spend the rest of my life with you. I must be the luckiest man alive. I vow to remain as loyal as a wolf to you, cherish you and love you, in sickness and in health till death do us part."  
Harriet was trying very hard not to laugh. Trust Sirius to sneak Dog and Wolf references into his vows. When the grooms finally kissed she clapped and cheered along with everyone else. Mabye a bit louder.

A few hours later, she was sitting at a table with a piece of wedding cake. It was amazing, possibly the best cake she had ever tasted. The flavours were exeptionall and the icing was just the right amount of sweet. If she had to choose something that she would be forced to eat for the rest of her life, this would most likely be it. Morgana, she loved wedding cake. It was perfection!

The rest of the wedding party went really smoothly if you didn't count the Weasley family owl crashing into the table and the dispute some judgemental arses had about the decorations. 

In the evening Remus and Sirius snook off for their wedding night. That didn't mean the party was over though. Far from it. Harriet took so many pictures (mainly for blackmail) that the camera film was empty by midnight. Sulking slightly,  she grabbed another piece of cake and went to find her friends.

After the party was over, Harriet flooed back home, directly into her room. Kicking off her shoes she flopped right onto the bed and fell asleep almost immediately. It had been one hell of a long day.

The next day when Harriet got down to breakfast her godfather and his husband were already sitting there more or less comfortably. Remus was sitting comfortably. Sirius seemed to be having some difficulty. So he was the Alpha female after all!

Harriet grinned.  
"Morning!" She said loudly. Both guys flinched slightly. She giggled and sat down to eat. Akira stole some stuff off of her plate.   
"So, Harriet," she hissed, "exited for the next school year?"  
"Uh, yeah...Why?"  
"Your list just arrived." the snake stated as Hedwig dropped a couple of envelopes into Harriet's lap.  
Harriet tore the one with the Hogwarts emblem open and looked at her booklist.

It consisted of:  
-Intermediate Transfiguration  
-The Monster Book of Monsters  
-Unfogging the Future by Cassandra Vablatsky (if attending divination)  
-The Essential Defence Against the Dark Arts by Arsenius Jigger  
-Wizard Law and Order: the abridged series by Esmeralda Kingston and Harry Worldsworth   
-The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4 by Miranda Goshawk  
-The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection  
-Numerology and Grammatica (if attending Arithmancy)  
-Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles by Wilhelm Wigworthy (if attending Muggle Studies)  
-Spellman's Syllabary (if attending Study of Ancient Runes)

Fourth years will require dress robes for a special event to take place throughout the year. 

Sirius looked over her shoulder.  
"I still don't get why you're taking Muggle Studies and divination." he stated wrinkling his nose.  
"Divination is the only class I can falk asleep in without getting into any trouble and Muggle Studies is an easy A." Harriet said shrugging.  
"Those are good points." Sirius said nodding.  
"So, Diagon Ally today?" Remus asked casually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Sirius wasn't in a dress. Sorry if you were hoping for that. Wedding cake is the best cake there is. If you don't agree, you can fight me.  
> Thank you to my readers.  
> XOXO, Drachma.


	3. Pudding brain

The trip to Diagon Ally was mainly uneventful. Harriet bought all her school books, a dress (dress robes just meant formal wear) and some other stuff she would need. She also stumbled across a book on hybrids. Yes, there were wizard creature hybrids. Harriet had been super suprised to hear this. She had known about Veela of course, but she had thought they were an exeption. As it turned out there were several other hybrids that Pansy would surely turn her nose up at. Pansy didn't like magical creatures much. She was civil with Lupin, but you could tell that she would have preferred Harriets second godfather to be an ordinary wizard. Whatever her issue was, it was probably something well founded. Pansy wasn't one to dislike something for no reason.

Harriet and the rest of the circlet had decided to meet up for lunch. The subject of the Quidditch world cup came up.

"Ireland vs Bulgaria! This'll be the match of the century!" Lee Jordan was saying.

"My money is on Ireland." Jiyu said.

"I'll take that action." Oliver Wood threw in, "Have you seen Bulgarias team this year?! They have Viktor Krum!"

"It's on!" George backed his girlfriend up, "What are you two doing here anyway? I thought you both had very busy lives?"

"It's our day off," Marcus Flint explained shrugging, "We thought we'd spend some time together."

"You two are so cute together!" Hermione gushed. Harriet facepalmed. Hermione did this all the time.

"On a darker subject," Harriet began, "I think Dumbledore might be planning something."

Immediatley everyones attention was on her.

"I heard that he was searching for a specific artifact that allows him to control peoples minds. You know, like one would with the imperius curse except that it's legal." she told them.

"Seriously?" Blaise asked, his eybrows shooting up. He looked annoyed.

"One quiet year. All I want, is one - ONE - quiet year. He can't even give us that?!" he continued.

"Apparently not." Draco deadpanned.

"What's the plan then?" Theo asked.

"Simple, we get the artifact - whatever it is - before he does and destroy it." Draco shrugged.

"Or we get it and use it for our own personal gain." Pansy suggested.

"We need to know what it is and how to get to it first." Harriet said. She made a mental note to talk to Tom about this. They were most definitely going to need help. Quite honestly, she was scared. The wedding hadn't been the only reason she had been waking up lately. Nightmares had been frequent too. She had been on edge more than she usually was. Frankly, it was bordering on Paranoia and somewhat ridiculous. She did her best to shake off her negative thoughts (at least temporarily). It was the summer holidays, she was meant to be relaxing!

Sighing, she leaned forward, resting her arms on the table.

"This situation is difficult. We don't know wether he is actually after the artifact or not, we don't have a clue what it is and even if we did, we can't leave Hogwarts during the school year. Not unless we are going to Hogsmeade. That would make it impossble for us to bring up enough time to actually go get it." she said.

"We'll figure something out." Draco said, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Ok, but we need to think of something fast." Pansy said, "I don't think we have that much time on our hands. I mean, It's Dumbledore!"

They spent the next hour brainstorming and came up with absolutely nothing, much to everyones dismay. Internally, Harriet was starting to panic. Stupid, useless, empty brain! She was supposed to be smart for crying out loud! Why was her brain suddenly made of pudding? She'd come up with something. She had to come up with something. She had to!

That evening, Harriet sat in her room sorting through some things while trying to come up with something. It wasn't unusual for her to be so quiet so Sirius and Remus suspected nothing. She took a deep breath and opened a random book. She needed to take her mind off of things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo! Third chapter! Fourth will be coming up as soon as possible.  
> Comment or Kudo.  
> Thanks,  
> Drachma.


	4. Another year that starts with a problem

On the first of September, Harriet woke up earlier than usual. The artifact issue had been on her mind all summer, meaning that she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. Needless to say she had been mentally stressing herself out to find a solution. Now, she would be in the same building as the main source of her problems. That totally helped. The Quidditch world cup had taken her mind off of things temporarily. Watching Jiyu and George win a bet against Oliver and Marcus had been amazing.

Remus and Sirius flooed to the train station with her. He'd never admit it, but Sirius was definitly mothering her. Remus was acting like any proud werewolf father was, telling her she had got this year in the bag with extra emphasis and around as many people as possible.

Once they had said goodbye, Harriet yanked her trunk onto the train and hauled it down the corridor and into an empty compartment. She had to admit that she was suprised that she couldn't lift both Crabbe and Goyle after 3 years of dragging the before mentioned piece of luggage around. She dumped it in the luggage rack and flopped down into her seat. After a while her friends had found their way into the compartment. Draco sat on her left, Pansy next to him. Opposite her were Theo, Hermione and Blaise. Grabbe and Goyle had squeezed themselves between the door and the others. None of them had spoken a single word since they had arrived. The silence made everything seem ten times more awkward. It was like all of them were waiting for something. Hermione opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, thought about it and closed it again.

"Spit it out." Harriet said to her.

"N- no, no, don't worry about it. It's not important." Hermione stuttered.

"The way your stuttering, I can tell it is. To you at least." Harriet said, "Spit it out!"

"No, really-"

"Spit. It. Out."

"Okay, Quidditch is going to be cancelled this year. I know you guys didn't play last year because of Madam Hooches almost constant absense and that you were looking forward to doing so this year, so I didn't really want to mention it and burst your bubble!" Hermione said quickly.

Everyone stared at her.

"Son of a Banshee!" Draco snarled, "I can't believe it. They're cancelling Quidditch! Why would those Plonkers cancel Quidditch because of some international school tournament? That is an essential part of student bonding!"

"Tournament?" Harriet asked confused.

"The Triwizard tournament. The three most powerful magic schools in Europe competing for a cup." Draco said. He was fuming.

"Why didn't anybody tell me that there was a tournament taking place?" Harriet asked, her eyes narrowing.

"We didn't want to add more onto your plate of concerns." Pansy said trying to get Harriet to remain calm. Harriet huffed and lokked out of the window crossing her arms. How dare they keep this from her! The others exchanged worried glaces. 

"Anyway," Theo said, "Only students that are 17 are allowed to compete. The prize is 1000 galleons, a Trophy and eternal glory."

"Apparently." Blaise added.

Pansy roleed her eyes.

Crabbes stomach growled. Everyone turned to look at him. He shrugged.

"What?" he asked, "I'm hungry."

"Same here." Goyle admitted.

Theo chuckled.

"Don't worry," he told them, "The lady with the trolly should come by soon."

A couple of hours later, they were sitting at the Slytherin table in the great hall. Dumbledore had started to give his usual speech. 'Welcome to another year' and all that bla bla.

"Due to this years special event, I am afraid to tell you that we have had to cancel Quidditch-"

A series of "boo"s went up at this. The hall was filled with protests. Harriet could only imagine what Flint and Oliver would be yelling and, let me tell you, it was not something you should be yelling in front of first years and teachers. Especially not if McGonagall and Snape were in the room.

"The tri wizard tournament," Dumbledore continued, "Is a historical event hosted by the three most powerful magic schools in Europe every four years. The chosen schools this year are Beaubatons, Durmstrang and Hogwarts. The other schools will be arriving tomorrow morning. Classes will start next Monday so you can get to know each other. The rules will be explained tomorrow. Good night."  
He gave a seemingly good natured wink at the end.

Harriet didn't get a wink of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voilà!  
> Le Chapter has arrived.  
> Comment or Kudo.  
> Thanks, Drachma.


	5. Talk about a grand entrance.

There were several reasons Harriet hated mornings. First of all, waking up sucked. Secondly, every single day had a problem. There was no such thing as a perfect day. Third on the list was the fact that she always felt bone-tired. The last point was that Dumbledore was likely to ruin her day one way or another. She sighed and got out of bed. It was going to be a long day.

Today, the foreign students were arriving for the bloody tournament that was the reason Quidditch was cancelled. Pansy was really excited. Apparently, Beauxbatons was arriving in a carriage pulled by winged horses. Draco was more excited about Durmstrang arriving. They were taking the more subtle mode of transportation called a magical Flagship. Theo said he didn't care about how they arrived as long as they were punctual.

After lunch, the hogwarts students all assdembled outside in front of the school to witness the spectacle of the foreigners arriving. They did not dissapoint. 

Beauxbatons carriage was an artwork. Powder blue with elegant details and gold decoratives. It had a royal feel to it. Especially since the coat of arms was prominently placed on the door and roof of the thing. If there was one thing to be noted about the magic school of france, it was that they had a distaste for mascots of any kind. Henceforth, there symbol was the two crossed wands, each shooting three stars. The school itsself had had many noteworthy students over the years. Most prominent were Nicholas Flamel, the creator of the philosophers stone, and Vincent Duc de Trefle Picques, no one knew why he was famous (something about an illusionary charm). Regardless, Beauxbatons took pride in them and mentioned them at every oppurtunity. The winged horses did not let down either. They swooped down and laded jut as elegantly as they had flown. It was quite a sight.

The Durmstrang Flagship was a sight. It emerged from the Black lake with an air of dignity the Beauxbatons had not posessed. The main sail displayed Durmsrangs Mascot, the twin headed eagle. The ship had a viking feel to it. To be fair, it was a Norwegian school so that had been expected.

"I want a Flagship." Harriet heard Draco whisper quietly. She facepalmed, shook her head and watched the students come ashore. What suprised her was that Viktor krum was among them. Wasn't he Bulgarian? She'd figure that out later. Instead she focused on the beauxbatons students. They looked terribly cold in their uniforms. Honestly, silk uniforms? These were the highlands! Their headmistress was presumably a half-giantess. She spotted a girl of about 12 among the students. Obviously someones sister or she wouldn't have been there. She sighed and waited until everyone had sorted themselves out.

Dumbledore greeted both headmasters warmly. They returned the greeting with cool politeness. It was obvious they didn't trust him. Harriet smirked at the slightly annoyed face Dumbledore made. Madame Maxime started making demands almost immediatly.

My 'orses need attending too Dumblydoor. Zey need to be cleaned and fed. Also, zey dreenk only single malt whiskey."

Karkaroff soon joined in.

"We've had a long journey. My students need rest. Let's go inside and get the organisatory things out of the way shall we?"

Dumbledore looked ready to kill them both behind his smile. He simply nodded and ushered them inside, their students following close behind. The hogwarts students followed directly after.

"Eternal glory! That's what awaits the student who wins the Triwizard Tournament, but to do this, that student must survive three tasks. Three extremely dangerous tasks." was how Dumbledore introduced the tournament.

"Each school will be represented by one champion. Anyone wishing to compete may place their name in the Goblet of fire by the end of the month. This gives you a few weeks to decide wether or not you would like to compete. Be warned though, if your name gets chosen. You will be facing perrilous tasks and may not come out alive," he continued.

Harriet heard a "pff" near her. Opressco seemed confident. Obviously he was going to try compete. Secretly, Harriet hoped there would be a Slytherin champion just to see the look on Dumblydoors face.

Dumbledore proceded to explain everything else, Harriet making a mental note here and there.

After the ordeal of listening to their Headmaster drone on for an hour or so, it was time for bed. Harriet fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. As it turned out, nightmares were still a thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment or Kudo. Thanx.   
> Drachma.


	6. Allies

The morning before the reaping (as Harriet had taken to calling it) she recieved an owl. Seeing as it was from Tom, she waited until she was back in the dorm to open it.  
It read:

Harriet,  
As you know, the Tri wizard tournament is taking place at hogwarts this year. 

You also know that  Dumbledore is after a certain artifact. This artifact just so happens to be the Iris Pendant. It allows the wearer to read minds and control people's actions. One would hope he is as clueless to it's location as we are. However, considering who it is. I doubt we are so lucky. You have allies in the other schools. I gave them codewords. 

They are: "The sky is as blue as our carriage." and "It's nothing compared to Bulgaria." 

The correct reply would be: "That's what Grindewald said."

Good Luck!

Tom

Harriet sighed in exasperation. What in the name of  Guineveres crown was she supposed to do now? Tom hadn't even told her who the 'allies' were. It was pretty obvious they were from Beaubatons and Durmstrang. The other question was: why couldn't she just get her friends to help her? Rolling her eyes she dumped the letter into the fireplace after memorizing its content. 

Over the next days, Harriet kept her eyes on all the foreign students. She also watched the people who put their names in the goblet of fire. Cedric Diggory from Hufflepuff, Penelope Clearwater from Ravenclaw, everyone from Durmstrang, 3/4 of the beaubatons students, all the Gryffindor seventh years, about half the Slytherins, a Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw here and there...

The weasley twins had tried an aging potion which had backfired. Long story short, They were in the hospital wing getting their long grey beards removed along with several others who had wanted to compete and had just needed to age themselves up a little.

Harriet had noticed that Pansy had been a bit absent lately. It was wierd. It was as if something was troubling her... Harriet shook her head and pushed the thought to the back of her mind. Someone was probably wearing the wrong shoes or something. 

She walked past some Beaubatons students. One of them decided it was a good idea to follow her. It really wasn't but alright. If the girl wanted to play cat, she'd play mouse. She spent ten minutes rounding corners and going up and down flights of stairs until she found an empty room. She went in leaving the door open and went to stand by the window. In the window pane, she watched the distorted reflection of her stalker move until she was standing next to Harriet.

"Ze sky ees as blue as our carreege."  
Harriet glanced at her sideways. So, this was ally number one.

"That's what Grindewald said." She murmered back.   
"Fleur Delacour." The blonde said sticking her hand out for Harriet to shake.

"Harriet Potter." said Harriet taking it.

"I suppoze monsieur Reedle told you ze details about ze mission?" Fleur asked with a smile.

"Yes." Harriet said smiling back, "We have one more ally we need to find. They're presumably from Durmstrang. Anyway, we are supposed to find the Iris Pendant, a mind control charm, before Dumbledore does. Whatever we do needs to be kept top secret."

"I agree. Zis Dumblydore must not find out about ze plan. 'e would make sure we did not see ze light of ze day again." Fleur nodded, "We really need to find ze personne to 'elp us." 

"Agreed. I have a feeling I know who it  is. I just need to talk to them." Harriet told her.

"Who?" Fleur quiered. 

"A person who could compare Britain to Bulgaria, presumably because he plays on their Quidditch team. A person who is in Hogwarts right now." Harriet hinted.

"I still don't 'ave a clue!" Fleur said.

"Viktor Krum." 

Harriet watched as Fleurs eyes widened in suprise. Honestly, she was shocked that Fleur hadn't realized that herself. She seemed smart.

"Ze Quidditch star!" She gasped.

"The one and only." Harriet replied.

"I suppoze it does make sense. 'E is a formidable wizard," Fleur said nodding. "I just thought monsieur Reedle would 'ave chosen someone else. It is a suprise"

"That may be true. However, not a word to him until we know for sure." Harriet said to her.

"I understand. I 'hope to see you at dinner. May I sit at your table?" Fleur gave a nod.

"Sure. See you at dinner." Harriet said giving her a bright smile and a salute before heading out to find the possible third member of their party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts?  
> Also, leave a kudo if you feel like it.  
> Thanks, Drachma   
> XOX


	7. One Extra.

Harriet and Fleur were sitting at the Slytherin table. Krum sat down next to them. The girls glanced at each other.

"Ze country ees nice." Fleur said attempting conversation.

"It is." Harriet said lamely.

"It is nothing compared to Bulgaria." Viktor Krum said.

"That's what Grindewald said." Harriet replied without thinking. She stiffened. Krum gave her a nod. Codewords regognized. Harriet felt relieved.

"What is it we are supposed to find?" he asked.

"Ze irees pendant." Fleur answered.

"It's a mind control charm." Harriet elaborated when Krum looked confused.

"Then we had better get to it." Krum declared.

"I agree, but 'ow?" Fleur asked.

"Well, first, we need to figure out where it is, preferably without Dumbledore knowing. Then we need to get to it before he does. After that, well, I suppose we get it to Tom Riddle." Harriet said.

"Zis Dumblydore ees really a problem." Fleur commented.

"Sadly, he is the headmaster of this school." Harriet said.

"That makes it more difficult." Krum said.

"Who can we trust with zis?" Fleur asked.

"Just each other." Harriet said. "For now."

"Agreed." Krum nodded.

Suddenly, the food appeared. The three of them ate in complete silence. It was almost eerie.

After dinner, they all parted ways. They had agreed to meet up at the edge of the forbidden forest the next day around noon. They had the next day off. It was the day of the reaping after all.

The next evening, all the students had assembled in the great hall. The meeting at the forbidden forest had been relatively pointless. They hadn't gotten anything done.

Harriet watched the people around her with interest. She wondered who would be chosen for the 'honour' of competing in the death games and quite possibly throwing their life away. Seriously, in 1972 two of the three champions had died and the last one had been mauled beyond recognition. Yikes.

"Attention please." Dumbledore said loudly. The great hall was quiet.

"The Goblet is about to make its decision." he announced. "Now, when the champions names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the hall, walk along the staff table and go through into the next chamber where they will be recieving their first instructions."

Everyone's eyes turned on the goblet of fire. Suddenly, they turned red and a piece of paper flew out, directly into Dumbledore's waiting hand. He studied it for a moment, then announced, "The champion from Beaubatons is... Fleur Delacour."

There was clapping and cheering from the student crowd as Fleur swept up to the front of the hall and into the next chamber.

Once the commotion had died down, the flames flashed red again. Once again, Dumbledore caught the piece of paper.

"The champion for Durmstrang," he said in a clear voice, "is Viktor Krum."

The hall erupted in applause for the second time. Krum swaggered up to the front of the hall and into the adjoining chamber.

Next was the champion for Hogwarts. The students waited with baited breath. The flames turned red. Dumbledore unfolded the piece of paper.

"Cedric Diggory!" he called.

The entire student body exploded with cheers. Diggory was one of the best and everyone liked him. He walked to the front of the hall and into the next chamber with a huge grin on his face.

The flames turned red again. The hall fell silent. Everyone was staring at the Goblet in disbelief. A piece of paper floated out. It was snatched out of the air by Dumbledore.

"Harriet Potter."

Harriet's blood left her face. No way. This was not happening.

"Harriet Potter!" Dumbledore called once more.

"Go on," Draco told her giving her a small shove.

Harriet stumbled to the front of the hall and into the next chamber feeling terrified. This was a nightmare, right?

The other champions had obviously heard her name being called because they were staring at her. Shakily, she sat down in a nearby chair.

"You didn't put your name in, did you?" Cedric Diggory asked. It was more of a statement then a question. She could either confirm or deny it.

She decided to go with the truth and nodded weakly.

"'ow could zey let zis 'appen?" Fleur looked furious. Krum was glaring at the door the teachers would come through any moment. All three of the older champions looked ready to kill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment or Kudo, thanks.  
> Drachma


	8. Beaten down protest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long!

"She eez too young!" Fleur protested angrily, stomping her foot.

"I have to agree with my fellow champion," Diggory stated, "Harriet is clearly under seventeen and obviously did not put her name in the goblet of fire. She should not have to compete."

"I am with them on this matter." Krum said his russian accent capturing everyone's attention, "It would bring no benefit to the school or to her personally. I suggest she be released from the contract."

"I stand behind the three champions." Karkaroff made his position very clear.

"As do I." Madame Maxime declared, placing a hand on Fleur's shoulder.

"I wish I could say there is something we can do about it," Dumbledore said calmly, "However, I fear that the rules state that, if someones name is chosen, they are bound by irreversible, magical contract, that forces them to participate."

"Quite right," Bartemius Crouch, a ministry official, agreed. He served no function except the supervision of the tournament. He was actually head of the department of law enforcement and head of the department of international magical cooperation. He had a house elf named winky.

Harriet tuned into the argument again, just in time to hear Crouch say, "There is nothing I can do, she is, and will remain, a tri-wizard champion."

The torches on the walls flickered, casting an eerie light which matched the feeling in the room perfectly. One went out along with Harriets hopes of not competing.

'Merlin's smelly old socks,' Harriet thought shaking, 'I am so screwed.'

"Well then," Dumbledore said, "I suppose that's settled. I would ask the teachers to accompany their students back to their dormitorys."

The teachers grabbed their students and pulled them out of the room. Snape gave Harriet a jerky nod that indicated that she was to follow him. Not having much of a choice, she did.  
Once out of Dumbledore's earshot he stopped and turned to face her.

"You didn't put your name in?" he asked.

"No sir." she answered.

"Very well," Snape said evenly, "I shall accompany you back to your dormitory. I reccomend getting a good nights sleep."

"Yes sir." Harriet said and followed him to the Slytherin common room.

"Good night Potter." Snape said and left before she could answer.

Harriet didn't have a good night. She tossed and turned, her mind on two things only. One of them was her impending doom. The other was the mission Tom had given her. One was about staying alive and the other was about saving at least part of the world.

When she finally passed out from exaustion, she was plagued by nightmares. She didn't notice Akira winding herself around her arm to comfort her. The snake was pretty worried about Harriet. She was under a lot of pressure and people kept insisting on adding more. Didn't humans know how to relax?

Pansy, who had woken up from her friends tossing and turning, was sitting on the edge of her bed and watching her friend toss about. She momentarily debated waking her up, but decided against it. Harriet desperately needed some sleep. She looked worn out. She had looked that way for a while now. Pansy mentally hit herself for not noticing. Harriet was her best friend for crying out loud. She could do something to help her, couldn't she?

The problem with that was the fact that Harriet never spoke about her problems and always managed to turn the conversation so it was about her friends instead. She knew more about her friends than her friends knew about her. She hadn't spoken much about her past. All they knew was that her parents were dead and that she had abusive relatives, which she had been abandoned by when she was 12. Pansy had never met anyone who was happy to be abandoned. Let alone sang a song called 'no more assholes' the next day.

She was happy that Harriet lived with Sirius and Remus now. They were good people even if one was a werewolf. She was wary around creatures. Especially werewolves. When she had been a kid she had almost been bitten by one named Fenrir Greyback. Luckily, her mother had been able to stop him. A shiver ran down her spine at the memory. She still had the scars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we know why pansy doesn't really like werewolves.  
> Harriet's really in a sticky situation, huh?  
> Anyways, comment or kudo. Positive feedback is always appreciated.  
> Thanks, Drachma


	9. Progress, stumbling and other things.

Harriet walked down the school corridor. The past few days had flown by in a haze. She had been sleeping less than usual, the tournament and the mission occupying 99 percent of her brain cells. She'd been eating less than usual aswell. Blaise and Hermione had set to finding out what the first task was for her. They had made no process so far. Pansy kept sending her worried looks.

Later, Draco and Pansy were sitting in the corner of the courtyard.

"She's been having nightmares?" Draco asked.

"Yes. The tournament is probaly occupying every single bit of her thought process. Can't say I blame her for being worried though. If it were me competing, I'd have lost the ability to function," Pansy replied.

Draco pressed his lips together and made his thinking face. There had to be a way they could help their friend. Especially their best friend. A nearby first year took one glance at him and bolted. Pansy couldn't blame him. Draco's thinking face scared everyone. He looked like he was planning murder.

Meanwhile, Viktor Krum, Fleur Delacour and Harriet were bent over a huge pile of books in the library. Seriously, in terms of finding the thing, the Iris Pendant was very much like the philosopher's stone. 33 books later and still no results. They were on the verge of giving up when Fleur found it.

"Oui! J'ai trouver laquelle! I have found ze pendant." she exclaimed happily.

"Halleluja! Great work Fleur!" Harriet grinned.

"Merci." Fleur smiled.

"Wot does it say about it in the book?" Krum asked.

"Eet says zat ze pendant ees a powerful magical object zat is one of a kind and needs a powerful sacrifice to get eet." Fleur read aloud.

"Does it say where it is?" Krum asked.

"And what kind of powerful sacrifice?" Harriet quiered.

"It does not say," Fleur shook her head, " I suppose we will find out."

"Let's hope the sacrifice isn't to big of a price to pay." Krum frowned.

"We'll see." Harriet grimaced.

Jiyu, George and Fred skidded around a corner. They were being chased by 8 angry prefects, a very pissed off head boy and girl and Professor Snape personally. Needless to say, they were in some deep trouble. 

"I don't know why we're in trouble folks. If no one takes the rule about no fireworks in the corridor seriously, it's not a rule and therefore we shouldn't be in trouble," Fred panted.

"If you want to explain that to professor Snivellus, fine by me. Go ahead. George and I will be long gone by the time you're out of detention," Jiyu huffed.

They all raced on, knocking over a group of first years as they went.  
"Sorry!" Jiyu yelled at them over her shoulder. 

The group raced into the forbidden forest, darting between the trees so they would lose their persuers quickly. Once safe they looked around.  
Something roared. All three of them jumped.

"What was that?" Fred asked looking around quickly.

"I hope it doesn't eat people," George said.

"It sounded like a mix between a lizard, a lion and a hippogriff." Jiyu stated.

The three glanced at each other, nodded and started making their way towards the sound whilst keeping low. Peering over a bush, their jaws dropped.

"Dragons." Jiyu gaped.

"The tournament," George gasped.

"Harriet!" all three of them realised.

They raced back to the castle. Who cared about detention, their friend's life was in trouble!  
As soon as they saw Harriet, they tackled her.  
"What the- guys!" she exclaimed.

"Dragons!" Jiyu breathed heavily.

"Tournament. First task." George got out.

"One for each champ." Fred gasped for air.

"Are you sure?" Harriet asked.  
The three nodded.

"Phew!" Harriet sighed in relief. "I thought it was going to be unicorns or something. I know lots about dragons. They're my all time favourite creature!"

The mischief trio stared at her.  
"You'd get along well with Charlie," Fred stated.

"Charlie?" Harriet asked.

"Our brother," George explained, "He loves dragons. Works as a dragon trainer in Romania actually."

"Cool." Harriet said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long wait for a new chapter. I have finals.
> 
> I don't know if the French is correct. I hope so.
> 
> I'm debating wether or not someone dies again but, ya know, that could just be because of my exams.
> 
> Thanks, Drachma.  
> XOXO


	10. Dragonese

Lupin paced up and down before the fireplace in 13 Grimauld place. Something was wrong with Sirius and his pup. He just knew it.

"I think that the carpet wouldn't appreciate having a hole Moony," he heard his husband say. Sighing, he walked over to him and buried his face in Sirius neck.

"I know. I'm just worried about Harriet, that's all,"he mumbled.

"I'm sure our pup is doing fine. Look" - Sirius held up an envelope - "She even wrote us a letter!"

Lupin grabbed the envelope and tore it open. He carefully unfolded the parchment inside and read out loud:

'Heya guys,

How is everything?  
Wedding Life suiting you?

So, yeah, the kind of cancelled Quidditch -'

"They cancelled Quidditch!" Sirius exclaimed.  
"Sirius-" Remus warned.  
"Sorry."

\- and replaced it with the Tri wizard tournament. I may have been selected to compete. The first task has to do with dragons -'

"I'm sure she's doing fine? Really?" Lupin growled at Sirius.  
"She loves dragons?" Sirius tried.  
"Sirius!" Remus snarled.  
"Ooh, look, more writing!" Sirius said, bringing the attention back to the letter.

'- so I'm not too worried about that. I know lots about dragons. I'm sure I'll figure something out. 

Don't worry about me. I've got this.

I'll write again soon. Love you,  
Harriet.' 

Remus started tapping his foot. Sirius took a deep breath and prepared himself for the next week convincing Remus not to barge into Hogwarts and unleash hell on those responsible for putting Harriet in the tournament. He had half a mind to do it himself but he knew how the justice system worked and he knew Dumbledore had the ministry wrapped around his finger.

Meanwhile, Harriet was combing through the language section in the library. It looked like no one had so much as poked it with a stick in the past century. That probably wasn't too far away from the truth either. 

A couple minutes later she found what she was looking for. A book on Dragonese, the rarest language in the world. Brimming with excitement she pulled it out of the shelf. She also grabbed the book of dragons on her way out of the library. She thought it was a shame that the sections she had just been in were so dusty. Dragons and languages were amazing! Shame on everyone who didn't think so, their families and their cows.

Once she was back in the dormitory, Harriet immediately started studying. She realised that Dragonese had a few similarities to Parseltongue. Her pronunciation of dragonese was probably going to stay crappy but at least she could get the grammar and vocabulary down by the time of the tournament. 

As she studied, Akira occasionally slithered by to help. Harriet was grateful for that but wished that Akira would stop insulting her while she corrected every second thing. The basilisk had apparently shared a crate with a dragon or two while being transported by th blue eagles. She was apparently pretty good at the fire drake dialect and the northern valley dialect. Needless to say, Harriet was impressed. 

Hours of cramming later, it was time for dinner. Harriet sat together with Krum and Fleur again. She told them about the first task. Their reactions were similar to Cedric Diggory's, whom she had told earlier that day. They paled, took a deep breath and switched the subject.

"I 'ope zat ze schools in Britain start teaching ozer languages. Eet would do wonders for ze international communications and understanding of magical creatures," said Fleur, "I 'ave always wanted to be able to speak to mermaids and Grindylows."

"I want to learn dragonese and any other language I can," stated Harriet.

"I want to speak with the snow wyverns in Siberia," Krum said.

They spent the next 10 minutes talking about languages and what they would do if they spoke them. Then, Fleur taught Krum and Harriet a bit of French and Krum taught the girls a bit of Norwegian and Bulgarian. 

After the language portion of the conversation, they got down to buissnes and talked about the pendant. Fleur had narrowed the location down to Europe. It would still take a while to find it but they finally felt as though they had made progress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be a bit longer. Promise.  
> Comment or Kudo.  
> Thanx, Drachma  
> XOXO


	11. Bugging reporters and Yule ball dates

They hated Rita Skeeter. That, all four champions could agree on. Her glasses, the way she talked over people, the way she kept interviewing them and the way she was. They just hated her.

Krum had come out of his interview looking like he was plotting murder. Fleur looked like she wanted to throw her ladylike air to the wind and create some serious damage. Even the normally polite Cedric Diggory was cursing Skeeter's name when he walked out of the room. Harriet didn't blame them. The interview had been terrible. She didn't want to answer questions like 'I heard you're top of your class, do you think that will help you in this tournament?' or 'Do you have a boyfriend yet?', 'What about a girlfriend?' and any and all questions about her birth parents.

The four champions didn't even make an effort to look enthusiastic as their pictures were taken. They were all too busy plotting Skeeter's demise. 

The wand weighing went as planned. Olivander kept things brief and showered the wands with compliments. He only slightly turned up his nose at Krum's. It was the only wand that was made by his buissnes rival Gregorovitch.

After that they were free to go. Harriet headed back to the Dormitory to keep studying Dragonese. It was difficult, but she was getting better by the day.

The next days came and went quickly. Harriet, Krum and Fleur worked tirelessly on the pendant situation. They were making slow progress. In their defence, it took ages to find all the most secret magical places in Ireland. According to Fleur, who had traced the possession of the Pendant since it's departure from Egypt, it was residing somewhere near the forest of Connacht. There were lots of locations to choose from including werewolf territory and Fae 'kingdoms'. Not to mention the leprechaun land.

Leprechauns were mischevious little creatures. Catching one was nearly impossible. Not to mention that if you did you had three wishes that you would have to phrase very clearly or you would end up regretting having wished for anything at all.

Fae, or faries as they were more commonly known, were peaceful creatures. Unless you provoked them, something trespassing on their land was sure to do. Then you would be lucky if your body was still in one piece when someone found it. They spoke in riddles aswell, something most people found exceedingly irritating. 

Werewolves, well, there were different kinds. Some could transform at will, some only managed half a transformation, some transformed on full moon. The list was endless.

Harriet was hoping for werewolves, Fleur for fae, Viktor for Leprechauns.  
They made a list of pro's and con's for each. In the end, they decided that it would be nice if they didn't have to enter anyone's territory at all. The cons lists were each far longer than all the pro lists combined. 

After that they got back to what they were actually supposed to be doing. Finding the pendant.

At the same time, Draco was shoving Theo towards the Ravenclaw tower and asking Cassandra  (his crush since first year) to the yule ball.

"I really don't get why you are making me do this. It's months away and-"

"Shut up. I'm making you do this because in a few months someone else is bound to have asked her."

"She'll turn me down anyway!"

"No she won't. Confidence!"

"But-"

"Zip it."

"But-"

There she is!"

Theo turned paler. It was now or never. He took a deep breath and walked towards her, mentally rehearsing everything he had practiced in the mirror and with a very disgruntled Draco.

"Hi Cassie," he said when he reached her.

"Oh, hey Theo," she said turning around.

"I was - erm - wondering if you would - er-" He paused.

"Wondering if what?" Cassie asked smiling.

"Wonderingifyoullgototheyuleballwithme?" Theo said quickly.

"Sorry, what?" Cassie asked confused.

"Wondering if you will go to the yule ball with me?" Theo got out feeling very nervous.

"Yes!" Cassie shrieked. Then she cleared her throat and said in a more normal tone, "Yes. I would love to go to the Yule ball with you."

Meanwhile, Hermione and Pansy were sitting in the corner of the Slytherin common room chatting.

"I am so excited for the yule ball!" Pansy was gushing, "I have no idea if anyone will ask me there but, even if not, I'm going anyway."

"I'm super excited for the yule ball too. I already have someone in mind I want to ask aswell. I don't know if they'll say yes though," Hermione said fidgeting slightly. 

"Of course they'll say yes!" Pansy exclaimed. She didn't understand why anyone would want to turn Hermione down. The girl was perfect. Smart, funny, kind, brave. The list was endless. 

"You think so?" Hermione asked.

"Absolutely!" Pansy said. 

"What if she doesn't swing my way?" Hermione asked. 

"Your way?" Pansy raised an eyebrow.

"What if she's not gay or bi?"

"Oh, well that can't be helped. You won't know unless you try though, right?" Pansy said placing a hand on her friends shoulder. 

Hermione thought things over and nodded.

"Yeah, I guess I'll have to try."

"Good. Just be yourself. Seriously, your perfect the way you are. Your funny, smart, pretty, kind, brave and - you know what? I could go on like this for hours. Your amazing. Anyone that turns you down is insane!"

"You think so?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, Pansy Parkinson, will you go to the yule ball with me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ship it or rip it?   
> Comment or Kudo.   
> Thanks, Drachma.   
> XOXO


	12. Let the tournament begin

"Yes!" Pansy said immediately a huge smile spreading on her face, "I would love to."

"Really?" Hermione asked suprised.

"Of course! I thought it was obvious that I liked you."

"You like me?"

"Yes!"

"I like you too."

Pansy beamed.

A while later Blaise, Draco, Crabbe and Goyle were sitting at the Slytherin table in the great hall. 

"If we all don't have dates by one week before the Yule ball, we're going as a bachelor party," Blaise stated.

"Agreed." Crabbe and Goyle nodded.

Draco thought it over for a moment and nodded as well. It was better than going alone, he supposed.

The ball, however, was the last thing on Harriet's mind. She was bent over a pile of books in the Slytherin common room, doing homework, studying Dragonese and researching the Iris Pendant. 

Suddenly, the fire crackled. Sirius' and Remus' faces appeared.

"Harriet! How are you doing?" Remus asked before either Sirius or Harriet could open their mouths.

"Pretty good actually," Harriet answered, "I mean, the tournament is a pain in the ass but otherwise everything's fine."  
She knew it was a lie, but she didn't want them to worry.

"Oh, thank God, Sirius and I were so worried," Remus said looking relieved.  
Other pleasantries were exchanged along with Remus and Sirius giving Harriet lots of advice on how to deal with dragons although everyone knew that she probably already knew everything about dragons. Alright, maybe not everything, but getting there.

As the next couple of weeks went by, the champions became increasingly nervous because of the first task and the rest of the school hurried to find yule ball dates. The first time Harriet was asked she was so shocked she turned the person down immediately. In the end, she simply agreed to go with Seamus Finnigan from Gryffindor. He seemed like a decent guy and it was better than going alone.

On November the 24th, the day had come. The four champions had to face their dragons. Harriet didn't know wether to be terrified or excited. She was going to see a fully grown, real life, totally amazing dragon! She paced up and down the tent the champions were waiting in while the rest of the schools, teachers and Co took their places in the arena. Fleur looked rather pale. Diggory was meditating. Krum was standing in the corner looking grim. 

The schools headmasters and Crouch entered the Tent. Crouch was holding a purple bag that seemed to have something living in it.

"Welcome champions, to the first task," Crouch said, "In this bag there are four miniature versions of the creatures you must face. The one you select, without looking, will be your adversary. Your goal for this task is to collect the golden egg. Now, Ms. Delacour, if you please..."  
He held the bag towards Fleur who looked like she was trying not to freak out as she reached in. She pulled out a  shrunken version of a common Welsh green with the number two painted on it. Next came Diggory, who pulled out a Swedish shortsnout with a number one on it. Krum yanked his hand out of the bag with a Chinese fireball hanging onto his thumb with its teeth. It had a number three on it. Harriet took a calming breath. There was only one option left. She reached into the bag and pulled out the Hungarian horntail with a number four on it. In small, it actually looked kind of cute.

She realised that Crouch was speaking again and payed attention.   
"The golden egg is your clue as to what the next challenge might be. I wish you all the best of luck and hope there aren't two many injuries today."   
He nodded to them all and left followed by the Headteachers.  
The champions exchanged glances amongst themselves. They weren't convinced they'd survive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit shorter than my usual chapters. Sorry about that.   
> Hope you're enjoying the story so far.  
> Comment or Kudo.   
> Thanks, Drachma. XOXO


	13. This group got burnt.

Diggory who was up first looked ready to throw up when the signal sounded for him to go face his fiery foe. The mini version of the swedish shortsnout he was facing looked hungry. If that meant the large dragon was hungry, his chances didn't seem all that great.

Fleur was shaking as she walked out of the safety of the tent through the tunnel into the arena. She obviously wished she could go back in time and take her name out of the goblet of fire.

When he was up, Krum took a swig of something out of his small hipflask. It smelled suspiciously like Vodka. Then he straightened up and marched towards the challenge.

Harriet revised all the dragonese she had learnt over the past few months and took a deep breath. The canon sounded, telling her it was time to go meet her fate. She stood up and walked through the tunnel into the arena. In the middle in a nest of sorts sat a huge black dragon. The hungarian Horntail fixed her with a suspicious look.

"Hello," Harriet tried in Dragonese, "I come in peace."

It may have come out more like 'jello, I come in pieces' but she couldn't really get hung up about that now. Not when the dragon was looking at her like it was contemplating a snack.

"Really," Harriet continued, "This is a kind of tournament where I have to get that golden egg you're sitting on so I pass."

The dragon suddenly looked more interested in her than hungry. Harriet took this as a good sign and kept talking. "It's called the tri- wizard tournament and it's supposed to be held every four years but last time they held it someone died so it got cancelled. It's a series of tasks a few wizards and witches have to pass to win. Anyway, can I have the golden egg please?"

The dragon contemplated it for a moment and sneezed. That would have been okay if dragon sneezes weren't flammable. Harriets robes caught fire.

"Shit!" she said dropping and rolling like muggle kids were taught in bonfire safety before guy- fawkes day. The stop, drop and roll manouver. Due to the sand in the arena the fire went out pretty quickly. She got up again brushing off sand and doing a damage check. Her leg had suffered a few rather bad burns. She heard gasps from the audience and looked back at the dragon. It's head was about a metre away from her. It dropped the golden egg at her feet.

"I wonder why a dragon is competing in a tournament for wizards. Especially one like you, who is barely more than a hatchling."The dragon sounded confused. "Your buisness is your own though. Take the egg and win hatchling."

After saying that, the dragon returned to it's nest and curled around it's real eggs again not sparing Harriet a second glance. She turned to the judges. Four ministry officials. They raised their wands and each sent a number into the air. Her score: four tens, fourty total. 

After reading them, she was ushered away by madam Pomfrey immediateley. She ended up in the healing tent with the other champions.

"So, what did you guys get?" she asked as the leg of her trousers was pushed up so madam pomfrey could check the injuries.

"Fourty, like you." Krum stated proudly.

"Thirty-eight."Diggory smiled.

"Zirty,"Fleur said, "I don't theenk one of ze judges was very fond of me."

"Everyone got burnt though," Diggory said.

"How long have you known Dragonese?" Fleur asked harriet.

"I started learning a couple of months ago." Harriet shrugged.

"I heard your talented but I didn't know you were actually a genius! Colour me impressed!" Digorry said.

As it turned out, the other champions had taken a more simple approach to the task. Diggory had transformed a boulder into a labrador as a distraction so he could steal the egg. He had still gotten a blast of dragon fire to the face. Krum had tried to knock it out with a conjunctivictus curse and had gotten a blat of dragon fire to the chest before summoning the dragon egg with a simple 'accio'. Fleur had charmed the dragon into a rather deep sleep. Everything would have gone well if the dragon hadn't snored.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment or Kudo.   
> Thanx, Drachma.   
> XOXO   
> P.s. I'll be on holiday for a while so the next time I update this will probably be in August.


	14. Spew

Pansy, Harriet, Hermione, Blaise, Draco, Theo, Crabbe and Goyle were all sitting peacefully in a Corner of the library reading books and trying to figure out what the markings on the golden egg Harriet had aquired meant when Hermione came marching up to them with a box in her Hands. She set it down on the table with an air of finality which hinted that whatever she was planning was not up for discussion.

"I can't believe the state house elves live in." she said, "We have to protest against the horrendous living conditions and outrageous housing of These magical creatures both here at hogwarts and elsewhere."

The others stared at her.

"Here!" Hermione said handing each of them a badge, "You're joining me in this fight."

"Spew." Harriet read the word on the badge out loud.

"S-P-E-W." Hermione corrected snappishly," The society for the promotion of Elfish Welfare."

Blaise snorted into his book. Hermione looked at him sharpley.

"It's not funny Blaise!"she hissed, "How would you feel if you were forced to do someones bidding."

"Oh come on," he replied,"It's not like they're under the imperios curse or something. Besides, the love their jobs. Just look at Dobby and Kreacher!"

"They're in the service of Harriet and Draco, not Dumbledore's." Pansy gave him a warning look.

"There should at least be laws to treat them decently!" Hermione said.

"That is an excellent point." Harriet leaned back in her seat. "Kreacher told me how things were like under Sirius' mother. How much for a Badge?"

"One sickle for a badge." Hermione said.

"Gimme three more." Harriet said pinning the one she was holding to her bag and handing Hermione four sickles. Hermione handed her the badges. Harriet shoved the golden egg she had into her bag and got up to find her fellow champions.

Diggory was immediately convinced.

"Everyone has the right to be treated fairly. This goes for magical creatures too. I'll have to buy some for my friends. They'll certainly be on board." were his exact words.

Fleur was convinced after hearing about Kreachers story and immediately set off to find Hermione an purchase badges for her fellow students.

Krum thought about it for a while but took the badge and joined the campaign too. He pinned it to the front of his robes with a small amount of pride.

A couple of days later, more and more students were buying badges and signing a petition Pansy had started. Some parents sent in their signatures aswell and ordered badges for their friends and collegues. within the next few weeks the campaign took off.

In the meantime, the Yule ball was marching ever closer. Draco ended up asking Eleanor de Compeinge, a Beauxbatons student. Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle still didn't have dates. Fred Weasley was going with Angelina Johnson. Viktor Krum was going with a Gryffindor seventh year. Cedric Diggory was going with Cho Chang. Fleur Delacour ended up going with a guy from her school.

The school was excitedly counting down to the night, or at least the fourth years and above were. The first to third years weren't permitted to go.

Harriet was more excited for the Christmas holidays. She was desperate to get home to her family again. She missed them terribly and was sure that they were very worried.

A few weeks later, the ball arrived. Harriet and Pansy were both getting ready. Pansy was wearing a light rose cooloured dress that reached the floor and had rose gold details on it. Harriet was wearing a tea length emerald green dress with 3/4 sleeves and matching low heeled shoes. She couldn't walk in 6 inch heels like Pansy. Pansy looked like royalty. There was no other way to describe it. Harriet became suddenly aware of everything she didn't like about her appearance. There was quite a few things on the list including her height (or lack thereof).

Hastily, Harriet shook those thoughts away. She couldn't partake in the opening dance of the ball looking like a nervous wreck. Taking a deep breath, she turned to Pansy.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Ready." Pansy replied looking determined.

Together, they started the walk through the common room in the direction of the great hall. This was going to be the best night ever. Hopefully!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> have a feeling that the 'Wierd Sisters' would be the 'Queen and Trash Metal mix' of the wizarding world. No idea why. Anyways, I'm thinking about putting a kiss on the next chapter. Thoughts?
> 
> Sorry this chapter is a bit late. But, hey, it's here! Can't ask more than that from a person with a writers block.
> 
> Also, there will be more Theo and Cassie in the story. What shall we call them? What about George and Jiyu?


	15. Watch your toes.

The great hall shone like a hoard of diamonds. Garlands of silver holly hung from various chandeliers that shone like stars. The tables were elegantly adorned with various table pieces and candlesticks and mistletoe hung from every corner. Everything glowed in a wintery light.

Harriet had her breath taken away. She stood there admiring everything until...

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Seamus' irish accent brought her out of her trance.

"Yeah, it is." she said smiling.

"I feel like I should apologise in advance incase I step on your feet. I only got one dance session with McGonagall." He grinned apologetically. 

"Don't worry about it. The only dance lessons I ever had were twice with Narcissa Malfoy and once with Snape so I doubt I'm much better." Harriet chuckled.

"Probably still a whole lot better than me," Seamus shrugged.

"Only one way to find out," Harriet stated, "And during the opening dance at that!"

Seamus laughed and offered her his arm before leading her into the middle of the dance floor as clapping signalised the champions' dance.

The music began and they swept across the floor, or at least tried to. As predicted, Seamus and Harriet's toes weren't left unharmed. At least they got the steps right. The most important thing was that they were both grinning from start to finish.

The following dances were for everyone. Hermione wasted no time in pulling Pansy onto the dance floor. Together they swept around the hall, spinning inbetween various couples. Hermione's light blue dress complemented Pansy's rose one. Both were convinced that they were dancing with the most beautiful girl in the world. Many looked on in jealousy. 

Theodore and Cassie were swaying somewhere in the corner, talking quietly. Draco and his date were exchanging pleasantries as they danced a prim and proper waltz.

"Lovely evening." Draco stated.

"Quite," Eleanor agreed, "It's not as cold as I expected which is always a pleasant surprise."

"I agree," he said, "I remember you mentioning that you enjoy the Scottish countryside?"

"Yes. I adore the Highlands and the air outside." Eleanor smiled.

"It is agreeable isn't it." Draco said.

Harriet and Seamus hadn't left the dance floor.  They were doing a somewhat altered waltz with many spins. They stopped when they began to feel dizzy and flopped down in seats at a nearby table laughing. Harriets cheeks nearly hurt she was smiling so much. When was the last time she had felt so carefree? It had certainly been a while.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the dance floor, George and Jiyu were dancing. You couldn't have said what it was even with a trained eye. The smiles and lovey- dovey expressions however were easy to interpret. They were head over heels. Speaking of heels, George and Fred were wearing dresses while Jiyu and Angelina Johnson had thrown on suits. The twins had also proclaimed themselves the belles of the ball. No one argued, or no one dared to do so.

Several students had gotten trapped under the mistletoe. Voluntarily or not, they had given each other the obligatory kiss to get out of the trap. Magic mistletoe cast a stell on you so you had to remain in the glowing circle (or magical barrier) until you paid the price. This just so happened to be a kiss. The best pair so far had been Dean Thomas and Cormac McLaggen who hated each other with a passion that burned more fiercely than hell and had gotten trapped in what they established as their worst nightmare. Frankly, it had been hilarious. They were still chugging pumpkin juice to apparently get the taste out of their mouths.

Seamus and Harriet were joined at the table by George and Jiyu not much later.  
"Enjoying yourselves?" George asked grinning.  
"Definitely." Harriet answered, "You?"  
"Of course." Jiyu smiled brightly, fixing George's make-up. "You should have seen Ron's face when he saw his brothers in dresses. You'd think the world had ended!"  
"Knowing him, he probably thought it had." Seamus shrugged.  
George shrugged, "Some people just can't appreciate beauty!"  
"Disasterous!" Harriet exclaimed in mock horror.

The rest of the night passed in a similar manner. All fun, dancing and joking about. No thinking about problems or anything negative.

After the party, Seamus walked Harriet back to her Dorm chatting with her all the while. They gave each other a good night high five and parted ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think Christmas will be like at the Black-Lupin house? And how will the conversation about the tournament go?
> 
> Anyways, hope you're enjoying the story. Thanks for reading!
> 
> XOXO, Drachma


	16. Cookies and a letter

Harriet watched the snowy landscape flash by. She was going home for Christmas! She was going to see Sirius and Remus again! She felt so happy.

Of course, there was still the pressing matter of Dumbledore and the Iris Pendant. Not to mention the tournament. She still had to open the golden egg she'd aquired.

For now though, the Hogwarts Express pulled along through the country side. The gentle rocking of the train had pulled the others into a sleep or a drowsy state. It was so cute! The one time Hermione had gotten up to go to the bathroom, Pansy had complained about how her pillow was running away.

As soon as they pulled into the station, the shoving to exit started. Everyone was excited to see their families. Harriet and the others waited until the biggest part of the mess had died down and then proceeded to shove their way out aswell, using their luggage as a battle ram.

Finally on the platform, everyone hugged goodbye promising to write and elbowed their way through the mass in search of their relatives. Harriet didn't need to do much work because she was almost bowled over by a certain werewolf and his mother hen of a husband.

"Harriet," Remus said, almost squeezing the air from her lungs, "We missed you so much! We were so worried when we heard about the tournament! I can't believe they are forcing you to compete. You could have died, or worse!"

"Remus!" Sirius started mock-scandalized. His tone then changed to his normal fun loving tone, "let me hug her too! You can't keep our pup all to yourself!"

Remus stepped back almost apologetically. Harriet got one second of air in before she was swept into a second bone crushing hug. She loved them both, but she also needed to breath.

"Sorry guys," she said, "as much as I love the hugs, I am kinda tired and I would love to go home now."

"Of course!" Remus smiled and grabbed her trunk, "I know how stressful school can be. You need to rest."

"Absolutely!" Sirius agreed, "When we get home I am going to find the fluffiest blanket we own, wrap you in it, sit you on the couch and get you your favourite cookies! Of course, you can go take a nap first if that's what you want to do."

"Cookies and blanket sounds good to me!" Harriet exclaimed brightly.

"Excellent choice if you ask me!" laughed Sirius.

When they got home, Harriet found herself buried in a pile of fluffy blankets between her parents on the sofa with what seemed like a lifetime supply of her favourite triple chocolate chip cookies. That did not mean she was not going to eat them all! She would finish that pile of cookies no matter what.

In the evening, Harriet recieved an owl from the Weasley twins. A suprise, considering that they usually only conversed during times that they were planning something together.

It read:

_Hello Harriet,_

**How's it going?**  
**Things are real crazy at our end! Bill and Charlie are home for Christmas. That means things got so much more interesting. Charlie wants** **to** **know where you learnt dragonese. He also wants to talk to you. I think it's the first time he's met someone who is almost as crazy about dragons as he is. You probably wouldn't bring a dragon home for Christmas though.**  
**It set** **Ron's** **chair on fire. Real shame it wasn’t the guy himself.**

_Anyways, we've probably told you that bills a curse breaker - right? We may have copied the markings from that golden egg you got... don't be mad okay! We know you wanted to figure those out on your own. According to him they're mermaid marks. We really hope you're good at holding your breath. Apparently you can only open the egg underwater. Good look with that._

**Jiyu says ' hi ' by the way. She and George** **are** **sickeningly cute together.**

_Damn right we are! She's amazing and I love her so much._

**Ew.**

_You're just jealous that I'm not spending time with you._

**We'll see you back at Hogwarts. You don't have to talk to** **Charlie** **if you don't want to.**

_Bye!_

**Gred** _and Forge_

Harriet grinned to herself. She was definitely talking to Charlie even if it was only to gush about dragons for an hour or so. George and Jiyu were cute together. She felt kind of sorry for Fred though. He was probably feeling a bit left out. But first she had the egg to get to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment or Kudo.   
> Thanx.


	17. Chapter 17

The room was dimly lit, the blinds drawn. Three figures sat in the dark.

"You want us to what?" the boy asked incredulously.

"I want you to keep leading our cause when the time comes." The old man smiled ruefully.

"But sir!" the girl spoke up, "How can we do that? We're teenagers! No one will listen to us!"

A dangerous glint found it's way into the old man's eye. "They will," he stated calmly, "If you make them."

"Sir!" the boys eyes went wide in realization, "You can't be suggesting..." He trailed off wide eyed as the old man gave him a look that clearly told him that he was indeed suggesting what the boy thought.

The girls eyes flickered nervously between them. It seemed she wanted to say something, but was too scared to do so. The old man studied the both of them for a moment before coming to a decision.

"Come here you two," he said - beckoning them to his desk, "I have a plan and I will need your help carrying it out."

Many miles away, Harriet Potter yanked her head out of the water in the kitchen sink spluttering. That blasted egg was getting on her nerves. The voice couldn't hurry up the singing a little? She didn't feel like constantly submerging herself to listen to the riddle again and again so she could get it onto parchment.

Three more times self-dunking herself and she had the last line written down and a dent in the metal sink from throwing the egg inside to be able to listen to the riddle over and over again. Conclusion: Kitchen sinks are a bad place to deal with magical objects. Especially when said objects were large, heavy, golden eggs with mermaid enchantments.

She carefully balanced the egg on the edge of the counter so she could read what she had written down.

_Come seek us where our voices sound,_

_We cannot sing above the ground,_

_And while you're searching ponder this; We've taken what you'll sorely miss,_

_An hour long you'll have to look,_

_And to recover what we took,_

_But past an hour, the prospect's black,_

_Too late, it's gone, it won't come back_

As if to punctuate the somber note at the end, the golden egg chose this as the right moment to fall off the counter and onto Harriet's foot.

"For the sake of Nimue's poison chalice!" she cursed,"Bebother and Melt this pillocking egg!"

"Bad timing?" came a voice from the fireplace.

She whirled around, forgetting she was hopping on one leg and promptly fell over.

"Hi, I'm Charlie Weasley," the guy who's head was hovering in the flames introduced himself.

"Hello Charlie," Harriet said, "I'm Harriet Potter and this was not the first impression I was hoping to make."

"Don't worry about it!" Charlie laughed.Then, more concerned, he asked, "Is your foot alright?"

"Think so-" Harriet gave her toes a test wiggle "- My toes are okay at least."

"Toes," Charlie said seriously, "Very important. Good for... climbing."

Harriet just nodded. She was talking to someone else who loved dragons, she couldn't screw this up. Not to mention that Charlie was, well, cool! She was 90 percent sure that no one was cooler than this guy (and she had only known him for about a minute).

"So..." she began, "Dragons?"

Immediately, Charlie's face split into a huge grin.

"Dragons!" He stated, "The most amazing creatures in the universe!"

Harriet found herself grinning as well. "Absolutely! Fred and George mentioned you were a dragon tamer?"

"Yeah, only been one for 3 and a half years now though. One and a half more years and I will have completed my apprenticeship and will be fully qualified to open a  reserve up North." He looked exited by this prospect.

"What's dragon taming like?" Harriet was just brimming with questions.

"Kinda like dog training," Charlie said. Then added, "That is, if your dog had a habit of spewing flames or other elements up to 80 feet away."

"Well, I guess that if you don't like the elements you could always stick to the speedy ones." Harriet shrugged, "Errolls are cute."

"Fred told me you held a couple Errolls a while back?" he asked. "Yup. I even gave them names! Sherlock, Poseidon and Estaban Ricardo Montoya de la Rosa Ramirez. There are so many pictures." she grinned.

Charlie dissolved into a fit of laughter. "Estaban Ricardo Montoya de la Rosa Ramirez?" he wheezed, "How did you come up with that?"

"Muggle Television." Harriet shrugged.

"That little box thingy?"

"Yup." Harriet said, "Do you like to read by any chance? Because I have a book series I think you'll enjoy!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! The two dragon nerds met! Hope you're enjoying the series so far.
> 
> If you have the time, you can comment who your favourite movie, tv or book dragon is. Mine is Toothless.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Drachma
> 
> XOXO


	18. The Weasley Life: Part 1

Charlie Weasley pulled his head out of the fireplace with a huge grin. He needed that muggle library card his mother had.

"Mum," he called, "Can I have that library card again?"

"No!" came Mrs Weasleys reply, "You remember the last time. You were banned from the library for burning the book you borrowed."

"They killed the dragon!"he cried indignantly.

"That doesn't mean you can burn the book!" Mrs Weasley snapped back.

"Fine!" Charlie huffed.

"Charlie," Percy, who'd been sitting in the corner of the room, raised an eyebrow at him, "You read?"

"I do now." Charlie grinned.

Fred and George exchanged concerned looks. What had Harriet done or said to Charlie? Was being as dragon crazy as him the only way to get him to do things? Or was it just Harriet? She had a habit of making people do things they'd never have considered before. They opened their mouths to ask, but realised that Charlie was no longer in the room. Percy sipped his tea haughtily. Something he did when he had no idea what was going on or upset.

"What is everyone staring about?" Jiyu asked, waltzing into the room. 

"Charlie wants to read a book." Fred whispered horrified.

"Not that that's a bad thing," George said, "It's just that Charlie never had the patience to read anything except his care of magical creatures books and some muggle story a while back."

"Which he burned because the dragon got killed at the end," Percy finished the speech.

"Let me guess,"Jiyu smiled, "he was talking to Harriet?"

The guys nodded.

"Well," she continued, "Harriet is the kind of person that has you doing things you'd never expect. Like smuggling a computer into Hogwarts, for example. I never thought I'd do that. Yet, last year, I did exactly that. Had no idea what to do with it until Harriet and Hermione showed me how it worked. Don't tell your father or I'll never hear the end of the questions."

"We won't," George said.

"Your point?" Percy raised an eyebrow.

"Charlie recieved a dose of Harriet Potter. Completely irreversible and completely brilliant. She threw him out of his comfort zone without either of them noticing." Jiyu explained flopping down on the sofa, "Now, who's up for a game of exploding snap?"

"I'm in!" George declared immediately, flopping down next to his girlfriend and giving her a kiss on the cheek.   
Fred made a face and went to join them. Percy rolled his eyes at Fred and begrudgingly started dealing the cards. Unless a miracle happened, he would lose. The trio had enough tricks up their sleeve to cheat at one-hundred games. There was no way to win. He was still confused as to how you could cheat at snap, but these were the twins and Jiyu. Anything was possible.

During the game, George missed a lot of chances because he was too busy staring at Jiyu or he just let her make the point. The guy was completely smitten. Fred played as ruthlessly as ever and Jiyu seemed to always have the right cards at the right moment. Needless to say, Percy was flattened. And to think he still had those reports to finish for Mr. Crouch...

His job at the ministry was very important to him. He could finally contribute to helping his family out of their monetary situation, just like Bill and Charlie. Of course, curse breaking and dragon taming was better paid but as far as he was concerned that was too adventurous. Not to mention you needed soft skills for it that he simply didn't have.

Later that evening, George and Jiyu sat in the living room chatting quietly.

"I'm worried about Percy," George admitted, "All he seems to be doing lately is working. He even brought home work for Christmas. Christmas!"

Jiyu placed an arm around his shoulders. "I'm sure he has a good reason. Mabye the ministry is having a hard time right now. Your father didn't seem too energetic either."

"You're probably right, but at this rate Percy is going to suffer a burnout before he turns twenty!"

"I'm sure he'll cut back the workload when it gets too much," Jiyu attempted. George gave her a doubtful look.

"Ok," she conceded, "You're right. It's Percy. Maybe it's just this one year. He just started, right?"

"I guess..." George trailed off, looking downcast.

"Don't worry too much!" Jiyu told him, giving him a kiss on the cheek, "I'm sure things'll get better soon."

"If you say so," George sighed. Then he pulled her into one of his bear hugs. "You always know what to say."

"Well, obviously," Jiyu grinned, earning a chuckle and a tighter hug.

Charlie sat on the bed in his and Bills shared room. He had the book! The book was amazing, even if it was a very long story. 536 pages wasn't that bad though, right? Saphira, the dragon, was amazing! What was this book again? Eragon? Nevermind, he needed to continue reading. Harriet had good taste. This book was the best thing he'd ever read!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment or Kudo.  
> Thanx.   
> Drachma  
> XOXO


	19. Secrets unveiled

The new year rolled in. The Parkinson family had hosted the party of the century, according to them at least, with the guest of honour - Hermione Granger. The fireworks had been spectacular and Harriet had eaten enough for the next three days, much to her stomachs chagrin.

Now, she was standing on platform 9 and 3/4 with with her friends and a trunk of substantial weight. She could have taken a few things out but that would have meant leaving the book she had gotten from Charlie about dragons behind and that was not an option. Seamus Finnigan had joined the gang with Neville Longbottom and Ginny Weasley. Ginny was nice enough. She was straightforward and had a temper as fiery as her hair. They had discovered this when Weasel had made a snide comment in their direction. Harriet was pretty sure he was now crying in a corner somewhere. Neville was a rather shy personality. He exelled in Herbology. Seamus was still Seamus. Fun to be around and the life of any party. His family stories were always a blast and his good nature made everyone around him feel at ease. Pansy and Hermione were the power couple they had been from the start. Confident and beautiful as ever, Hermione's smarts kept impressing and Pansy's smiles kept lighting up the area around them. Draco and Blaise kept the conversation going and Crabbe and Goyle scared away outsiders. Theo kept things cool and threw the occasional sarcastic comment or horrendous pun into the conversation. Cassie stood next to him making the occasional remark. Harriet remained in her quiet observant state and silently thanked fate that she was lucky enough to have friends as amazing as them.

The trip on the Hogwarts Express was spent solving the mermaid riddle from the golden egg. The second task was due in February and Harriet hadn't bothered with the poem yet. She had been otherwise occupied. Namely, with the Iris Pendant problem. 

"Well, you're going to have to go searching for something at the bottom of the lake, that's for sure," Hermione stated matter of factly. 

"And you only have one hour to find something valuable to you." Pansy added.

"The last part makes it sound as if it'll die if you don't find it." Ginny pushed her hair back behind her ear.

"So we think it's alive?" Draco asked.

"I'll bet it's alive," Theo said. 

"The main two problems I still have with this," -Harriet rubbed her temples- "are how I am supposed to find a mermaid lair and how the bloody hell I am supposed to hold my breath underwater for one hour."

Everyone put on their thinking faces.

"Gillyweed." Neville gasped suddenly. Everyone turned to stare at him.

"It's magical properties give you the abilities to breath underwater for an extended period of time!" he explained excitedly. 

"I was going to suggest a bubblehead charm," Cassie hummed thoughtfully, "but that might be easier."

"Okay, well, we'll see if we can get our hands on Gillyweed, but if that doesn't work: operation aquanaut is the way to go." Draco finalised.

"I'm sorry, we?" Harriet questioned. 

"After the Dragon thing?" Seamus raised an eyebrow at her," No way you're doing all this by yourself!"

Two weeks later, the Champions were sitting in a dark corner of the library. 

"So, the Iris Pendant gives you the ability to control people's souls?" Diggory whispered, eyes wide.

"I don't get it. Why is this a big deal?" Harriet asked quietly.

"Eet ees because ze soul ees ze essence of ze being. Without eet you are nothing. With ze ability to control ze soul you can change ze essence of ze being. You can 'urt a person or you can make zem 'urt others." Fleur explained, "If you have control over ze soul you can destroy a person completely. Ze thing is, wis ze pendant you can control 'undreds of people at a time. You could change ze theenking of ze entire ministry for example."

"Okay," Harriet said lamely, "that's bad."

"We need to find this thing before Dumbledore!" Krum said earnestly. 

"Then we'd better get to it," Diggory pointed out while grabbing a book on the pendant and flipping it open.

Little did they know, that, behind the nearest bookshelf, Pansy and Seamus were sitting, having heard everything. Quiet as mice, they crept away to tell the others.

Harriet was confronted upon her arrival in the Slytherin common room. 

"- and I can't believe you didn't tell us!" Pansy finished her rant.

Harriet sighed. "Tom didn't want me to tell you."

"So you told the other champions but not us?" Draco asked sounding hurt.

"Tom selected the other champions to be a part of the mission. Not you." Harriet rolled her eyes, annoyed.

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"How am I supposed to know?" Harriet huffed," It's Tom!"

"Mabye he knows something we don't?" Ginny suggested quietly. She had met Tom very briefly over Christmas when he had paid her parents a visit.

"When doesn't he?" Theo sighed.

"Point is," Blaise cut in, "Now we know. That means you tell us everything from now on and tell Tom that he can clue us in on the missions he gives you."

"Exactly." Seamus stated," We might give off the impression, but we're not completely useless!"

Harriet sighed. There was no way she was getting out of this one. On the one hand, she was pissed that her friends had been following her and eavesdropping on her conversations but on the other hand, they were right.

"Fine." She snapped. She quickly briefed them and then stalked off to notify the other champions that there was a slight change in plans and write a letter to Tom to do the very same.

A few hours later, Seamus found her hiding out under a Stairwell, curled around a book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I chickened out of killing Pansy in the second book? Gosh, I was so cute back then.
> 
> Anyways, who's your favourite person in the series so far?
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> Drachma  
> XOXO


	20. Books and Records

"Hey." Seamus greeted softly. Harriet was giving off an upset vibe. He immediately felt even worse for eavesdropping on her.

"Hey." Harriet replied robotically, not looking up from her book.

"What are you reading?" He asked, sitting down on the floor near her. He watched her lips twitch. Positive direction of conversation then.

"Dragon Tales," Harriet replied quietly. 

"My mam used to tell me the one about the Irish Clover Dragon as a bedtime story," Seamus chuckled, "It's a good one."

"It is." Harriet smiled, closing the book.

"I actually came to apologise for eavesdropping earlier," Seamus told her sitting up a little straighter.

"It's okay." She said quickly. 

"No," he declared, "It's not."  
Then, after a moment of thought, he added, "My mam would have my head if she found out."

That earned him a laugh from Harriet. "Don't worry," she giggled, "I won't tell her."

"Anyway I can make it up to you?" He asked.

"Well..." Harriet began.

"Well?" he prompted, raising an eyebrow.

"You could take me to the bookstore in Hogsmeade this weekend?" She tried, smiling shyly.

Seamus grinned. "It's a date!" he declared. Inwardly, he kicked himself. He had not just said that.

"Okay." Harriet felt her cheeks heat up. She hoped she wasn't blushing. 

Seamus nodded. "Great!" He grinned. "I shall leave you to your book then."

The weekend came sooner than planned. Pansy, Harriet and Ginny were standing in the Entrance hall. Waiting for everyone to assemble so the group could go to Hogsmeade.

"It's not like it's a date." Harriet told Pansy and Ginny for the umpteenth time.

"He's taking you to the bookstore!" Pansy rolled her eyes at her friend. "Of course it's a date!"

"Yeah," Ginny agreed, "Not to mention that I heard him bugging Draco about your likes and dislikes this morning. It's totally a date."

"But-" Harriet tried to protest.

"No buts!" Pansy and Ginny shut it down.

"He took you to the Yule ball," Pansy reminded her.

"He put effort into his dancing for you," Ginny said.

"He agreed to take you to the bookstore." Pansy continued.

"He's actually trying to look presentable today!" Ginny remarked.

"And you don't see the way he looks at you!" Pansy snapped as Harriet opened her mouth to say something.

"Fine." Harriet gave up. "It's a date."

"Yay!" Ginny cheered.

A few minutes later, Seamus walked up to them. He gave the two other girls a small greeting and then turned to Harriet.

"Ready to go?" He asked, offering his arm. Harriet noticed that he looked less rumpled than usual. More like on the night of the Yule ball.  Had he really put more effort in today?

"Yeah," she replied taking his arm. She was pulled away from her friends as the the student mass began to move, Professor McGonagall leading the fray. She gave Ginny and Pansy one last helpless glance and recieved two pairs of thumbs up and big grins in return.

As it turned out, the afternoon she spent with Seamus was one of the nicest she'd ever had. He took her to the bookstore - as promised - and watched her browse for a few hours. He even helped her pick out a new book. Not to mention he paid for it and took her out to eat afterwards. They spoke about their respective families.

"My dad's a muggle. My mam's a witch," he told her, "she didn't tell him  'till they were married. Bit of a shock for him when he found out."

A quick stop at Honeydukes concluded the date. The walk back to the castle was spent holding hands and enjoying the snow that was still there. Harriet pointed out some of her favourite spots. Seamus mentally took notes. Seamus told the occasional joke - which got Harriet laughing again and again - and gave gossip about the teachers. They said their goodbyes in the entrance hall and promised that they would go on another date sometime. Yes, they were calling it a date.

Harriet skipped all the way to the Slytherin common room, causing several people to be unnerved. Harriet? Skipping? Since when did she do that? Had her worst enemy died?

Harriet and Seamus spent Valentines day in a similar manner. However instead of the bookstore, they went to the record store and picked something out for each other.

The good mood didn't last as long as Harriet had hoped it would. The pressing matter of the tournaments second task and finding the Iris Pendant weighed down like a ton of bricks.

The 24th of February came far too soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No ship hate please! I have plans! Trust the author! 
> 
> Anyway, who do you think Harriet will save in the second task?  
> Humor me, the next chapter is going to take ages to write properly. 
> 
> Thanks, Drachma   
> XOXO


	21. Under the lake

Harriet stood on a platform over the lake, shivering from head to toe, wearing nothing but a swimsuit.

Krum seemed relaxed. But then again, the guy went to school in Norway. He was probably used to the cold. 

Fleurs lips were turning a similar blue to her bikini. Harriet felt a short pang of pity. Southern France was a rather warm area. She was completely out of her element. 

Cedric seemed to be in the same boat as Harriet. Cold, worried and wishing the entire ordeal would be over soon.

The Hogwarts March announced the beginning of the Task. Ludo Bagman, the commentator from the Quidditch world cup that had been held during the last summer, had been hired to commentate the task. 

"Hello, and welcome to the second task of the Tri wizard tournament!" Ludo's magically amplified voice boomed, "I hope you're ready, because today our champions are exploring the deep blue of this Lake!"

Harriet wrinkled her nose. The lake was nowhere near blue. It was nearly black and looked threatening. Ludo's voice rang out again after the other students cheering died down.

"They'll be seeking out something they would sorely miss if it went missing! And not just what, who! They only have one hour to find them or they'll be gone forever!"

Gasps ran through the crowd. Harriet and the other champions exchanged frightened looks. Did that mean that someone was going to die if they couldn't rescue them in time? Who the bloody hell had come up with this task?!

Bagman then proceeded to explain the other rules. Then came the horns signifying the start of the task. All the champions dived into the lake.

The cold spread through Harriet's body. The only thing keeping her alive was the bubble head charm she had cast. Alright, one hour. She had to move fast. Kicking her legs, she swam in the direction the other champions were heading. Through the mass of sea weed? Lake weed? Whatever it was. Fact was, it was green and looked annoying. Harriet couldn't get through it fast enough. 

Once she came out on the other side, the other three were nowhere in sight. Harriet looked around. Had she gotten lost? She dearly hoped not. Hastily she glanced around. No one. She studied her surroundings again. There had to be something. There was always something. 

There! Slightly to her left was a rock with one of the merpeople's symbols on it! She swam towards it and looked around again. Another one! There was a trail! Kicking her legs she propelled forwards along the marked path. She had to be heading in the right direction. 

As it turned out, she was. 

After a while, and a short swim through a cave, she ended in a clearing full of merpeople. They were carrying spears and looked deadly. At the other end of the clearing four figures floated, held down only by ropes of the weed stuff Harriet had swam through earlier. She used the rocks around the clearing as cover and got as close to them as possible. Her breath left her. It was as if the bubble head charm had suddenly dissapeared. Her blood turned to ice.

Two of the people she recognised, two she didn't but could guess as to who they were. Cho Chang - Cedrics girlfriend, a blond girl who looked very similar to Fleur - definitely her 13 year old sister, a Durmstrang guy she'd seen walking around with Krum - she didn't quite know the relationship there but he was important, and Draco Malfoy - the first friend she had ever made.

A shark shot past her.

Wait, a shark in a lake? She took a second glance.

Krum?! Seriously, had he decided to charge in to save the day with a half assed animagus transfiguration? Krum chomped at the rope keeping the Durmstrang guy at the bottom of the lake. He managed to separate it and towed the guy in the direction of the lake surface by the piece still attached to him.

Next to arrive was Cedric. He swam over to Harriet. He too, had used a bubblehead charm. He showed her his watch. She glanced at it. Ten minutes. Good to know. She nodded to show she understood. Cedric quickly swam over to Cho, untied the rope keeping her down and pulled her in the surface direction.

Harriet looked around, where was Fleur? 

Just as she'd been about to give up and free both Draco and Fleurs sister. Fleur swam into the clearing. She looked like a mess. Like she'd been attacked. Harriet sent her a questioning look. She gave a dismissive nod in return. Together they swam upward, holding their respective rescuee.

The broke through the surface gasping for air. And swam to the nearest platform. Immediately helping hands pulled them out of the water and they were wrapped in fluffy towels. The timer zeroed.

"That concludes the second task folks!" Bagmans voice boomed, "We'll let the judges make their decision and then get back to you!"

Harriet leaned against Seamus who had shoved his way through the crowd to give her a hug. She was exhausted and hungry. She dearly hoped the judges would get on with giving the scores.

Seamus held on to Harriet as tightly as he could. She was shivering violently. Seriously what had they been thinking, holding this task in February? Harriet could have hypothermia! She could get sick! Did these people think?

Harriet snuggled closer to Seamus. He was warm. Warm was good.

Fleur was piling towels onto her sister and waving away a frustrated Madam Pomfrey, who was trying to check on her injuries.  As far as Harriet knew, they were Grindelow bites. 

Cedric and Cho were sharing several towels.

Krum and his fellow student each had one towel wrapped around them and we're joking around.

Draco was affronted at being fussed over by Pansy, Hermione and  (suprisingly) Professor Snape, who -  after making sure Draco was not dying - came to check on Harriet aswell, muttering something about the 'tournament being a bloody mess' and 'why the hell would they let someone under 17 compete' and 'curse the old sack and shove poison up his ass'. Harriet came to the conclusion that Snape was livid. Ready to murder, if you will. There was no other reason for him to be cursing like that.

"You just heard Snape curse, right?" Seamus asked her horrified as they watched him stalk off, his robes billowing behind him, making him look more bat- like than usual.

The points were as followed:  
Fleur Delacour: 35, for perseverance although she was severly injured. Fleur chose the announcement as a good time to pass out.   
Viktor Krum: 36, for a spectacular display of skill in transfiguration.  
Harriet Potter: 38, for making sure all the hostages were safe and recognition of the merpeople's symbols.  
Cedric Diggory: 40, for saving another champions life and being smart enough to wear a watch. Apparently he had rescued Fleur from the Grindelow attack.

Harriet noticed she was joint first place with Cedric overall. The next task would be a tie breaker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did ya think?  
> Thanks for reading!   
> Drachma XOXO   
> PS. I'm thinking about killing one or two people off. Just a heads up.


	22. Plotting and Doubting

The Champions and the circlet spent the next few weeks with their noses in books, desperately trying to find the Iris Pendant. Tom hadn't been mad when he had found out about more people joining in on the fun. However, he had warned Harriet to proceed with caution. This was a task that needed to be done properly. There were people's souls at stake!

Meanwhile, Harriet and Seamus had been going on the occasional date. Charlie had been happy for them when Harriet had told him that she had a boyfriend. He also mentioned  (about a dozen times) that he would much rather talk about dragons. Harriet had no objections against doing that. Dragons were so cool!

More often than not, Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall had been hovering around the Circlet and the champions. It was almost like they were worried someone was going to jump out behind the bushes and try to kill them which, all things considered, was actually rather likely.

Jiyu had been making sure everyone didn’t overwork themselves. Especially Harriet, who was trying to take her Ordinary Wizarding Level exams half a year early. She had decided that during the Christmas Holidays without anyone noticing. She wouldn't tell anyone why and when they tried to pry, she shut down completely. No one was getting anything out of her. After a good talking to from Jiyu, they gave up asking. If Harriet wanted to share, she would. If not, too bad.

All in all, everyone was stressing themselves out.

Surprisingly, it was Crabbe and Goyle who found out where the Pendant was located. More or less anyway. Crabbe's father was a private treasure hunter and had been sent to find the pendant. The hunt had been called off shortly after he had been able to locate it, he had told a very interested Vincent Crabbe over the Easter holidays. He had been able to Narrow it down to Wicklow National Park near Dublin. A place where werewolves thrived.

"Okay." Harriet sat down in a nearby chair and scanned the others in the group. "Anyone know how big this park is?"

"220 square kilometres, with an elevation of about 900 metres." Seamus answered her question from where he was sitting on the windowsill of the abandoned Classroom.

"How are we supposed to search 220 square Kilometers?" Hermione asked incredulously. 

"We narrow it down even further and go hiking?" Draco suggested helplessly.

"We could use the air." Krum pointed out.

"And there's a four point spell that tells us where North is and a location spell to help us track the pendant." Diggory added.

The question is, how do we get there? With brooms?" Pansy asked sounding less than enthusiastic about the prospect.

"Wiz a portkey and ze floo." Fleur smiled. "Zer 'as to be a fireplace in ze nearest town and ve can charm ze tri wizard cup to be a portkey. It vill be in ze centre of ze maze in ze zird task. All ve need to do is get to ze middle."

"A tracking charm on the cup would be a good idea aswell then," Cassie said," As for the fireplace from here to Ireland, use one in Hogsmeade. Their not tracked like the ones here."

"There's one in the cellar of Honeydukes. I'd say use that." George yawned from his seat.

"Oh and bring a pair of gloves each. The air gets chilly when you're flying fast." Fred told them.

"Especially if you're over 900 metres above sea level." Harriet added.

"And don't forget the brooms!" Both twins chorused, getting up.

"Ok, 24th May, we're doing this!" Theo said leaping up from his seat.

"If anyone snitches, I am going to kill them!" Jiyu said in lieu of goodbye.

As usual the students left the room in twos and threes, a few minutes apart so they didn't arouse suspicion.

Late that night, two teenagers sat in a dark room with an old man. They were talking about the cause again.

"They need to be stopped!" The old man snarled, "Or everything we have worked for will be for nothing."

"We'll do our best." The red headed boy said.

"I need more!" the old man glared.

"Don't worry sir," the girl smirked, "We won't let you down."

"Good." The man leaned back in his seat, a terrifying glint in his eye. 

The boy shifted uncomfortably. He didn't like the way the plan was going. But if he didn't go along with it... He couldn’t think about that. Being mean to the 'chosen one' and pushing away his family so they wouldn't get hurt was one thing, but what the old man was asking... no, he couldn't. But he had to.

The boy didn't sleep at all that night. He stayed awake, his mind going crazy over the situation. He couldn't go on like this. What the old man was asking was too much. He had to make sure the plan didn't work and make sure their opponents plan succeeded. There was no other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! 22 chapters. This is the longest thing I have ever written. I deserve a cookie, for sure!
> 
> Anyways, I hope that y'all are enjoying the story so far.
> 
> Drachma  
> XOXO


	23. A slice of Life

_The wolf raced through the trees chasing the girl. The only thing on it's mind was: kill, kill, kill! The blood on it's paws leaving a trail of red behind it._

_A man raced out of the shadows getting between the wolf and the girl. The monster tore through him easily, and continued chasing after the girl. She tripped and fell. The wolf pounced, enjoying the terror in her emerald green eyes. It sunk it's teeth into her throat ending her scream._

Remus Lupin woke with a start, covered in cold sweat. No, that... he wouldn’t ... why would he ... because he was a monster. He looked at the sky, it was almost full moon. He choked back a sob and pushed away the comforting hug. He didn't deserve it. He was a monster. Monsters didn't deserve hugs.

"Remus?" Sirius asked tentatively.

Then, getting no reply from the snivelling man, he took his face in his hands and gently turned his head to look at him.

"Remus, tell me what's wrong." He whispered seeing the tears rolling down the others cheeks.

"I'm a monster," Remus sniffed.

"No, you aren't." Sirius looked him dead in the eye as he said this. Remus needed to know.

"Yes, I am," Remus hung his head, "I'm a danger to those around me. How can you even stand to be around me? I could kill you if I lost control!"

"Really Remus?" Sirius asked, "You? A monster? You fold your socks! Forgive me if I'm not trembling at the mere sight of you. Not to mention the intimidation factor of your sweaters. Pastels, suede and soft browns and greens definitely make me want to piss myself." Remus giggled. 

Sirius grinned mischeviously. "And the fact that you ask me if I'm okay every two seconds when we're - "

"Okay! Enough!" Remus cut Sirius off going bright red. Sirius laughed and rested their foreheads against each other.

"I love you, you furball." He stated.

"I love you too." Remus smiled at him.

 

The next day at Hogwarts, everyone was happy to discover that it was finally the weekend. The homework loads put a damper on the good mood but overall, everyone was happy.

Ginny Weasley and Gabrielle Delacour had become friends and spent more time together with a certain Luna Lovegood,  who Harriet took a liking to. She was a bit wierd, but anyone who loved magical creatures was a good person in Harriets book until proven otherwise. 

So far, there had only been two incidents in which someone had beat up someone else for being mean to Luna. 

One was Ginnys takedown of a less than friendly 6th year who had been taken to the hospital wing with a broken nose and bruised ribs.

The second was Gabrielles takedown of an annoying 5th year with a dainty heeled shoe, a can of hairspray and a handbag. Her voluminous golden curls staying perfectly intact all the while.

"Your sister and her friend are awsome!" Jiyu laughed when George told her the story.

"As one of her older brothers I am extremely proud," George declared grinning broadly, flopping down next to her on the Sofa in the Gryffindor common room and throwing an arm around her shoulders.

"You should be." Jiyu smiled at him and cuddled closer, resting her head on his chest.

"I love you!" George blurted out suddenly, but with all earnestly.

Jiyu looked up at him. "I love you too," she smiled.

George kissed her. What else was he supposed to have done? He couldn't think of anything else.

A shout of "Woo! Get some Georgie!" Had them jumping apart. Fred. Of course! No one else would have dared to ruin the moment for them like that.

"Fred," George stated, clearly irritated, "Ruin another moment and you’ll be on the receiving end of my genius for a while."

"Oh, please George, I give as good as I get!" Fred rolled his eyes, "Besides, you'll be too busy making eyes at Jiyu to come up with anything good!"

"Who says I won't help him?" Jiyu asked, smiling innocently. 

"Who says Lee won't help me?" Fred grinned.

"Nah, man!" Lee Jordan laughed, "I value my life!"

"Fine!" Fred yawned, "It'd be an unfair fight on you both so I will let you have your moments out of the goodness of my heart. Just don't steal my twin too much okay, Jiyu?"

"Don't worry!" Jiyu laughed, "I'm just his girlfriend! Your his brother! Way more important."

"Okay." Fred grinned, "Anyway, we have a distraction to plan!"

"Down to buisness!" George gave an identical mischevious grin and bent over the piece of parchment his twin procured from his pocket.

 

Meanwhile, Harriet was sitting in Hagrid's hut nursing a giant cup of tea with his dog, Fang, drooling in her lap. She very much preferred Fang to Fluffy. Less heads to pet and less drool. She had been coming to visit the care of magical creatures teacher more often since she had a genuine interest in the subject and, although his teaching methods were rather unorthodox, he was a brilliant teacher. He had also been a good friend of her parents.

Talking about various creatures with someone equally as interested mad Harriet feel at ease. Hagrid told her lots of stories about the different creatures in the forest and how the dragon found in his cabin in the first year had been an accident. The egg was supposed to have been sent back to Romania as quickly as possible but had hatched before that could happen. He also admitted he'd kept it longer than he was supposed to because he'd always wanted a dragon.

"Me too." Harriet smiled into her tea, "I guess I always wanted a friend as a kid and dragons seemed easier to deal with than other people." She chuckled slightly. "What reserve is the dragon at?" She asked as a sudden thought struck her.

"The one in Romania, o' course! They're the most capable." Hagrid answered.

"I might be able to write to my friend Charlie. He works there. Mabye you can visit your dragon sometime!" Harriet grinned. She was sure Charlie could do something and the way Hagrid was now smiling made her feel as if the idea would work out.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exactly what it says in the title!   
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter.   
> Drachma  
> XOXO

**Author's Note:**

> So, chapter 1 of book 4. Let me know what you think! I don't know if I went over the top with the cake, but whatever. It isn't my fault (yes, it is) that Sirius Black planned almost the entire thing.  
> Also, thoughts on Sirius in a wedding dress?  
> XOXO, Drachma.


End file.
